Unified Timeline

The Minish Cap

Vaati is a Minish that once lived in the Minish World as Ezlo's apprentice.[3][4] Over time, Vaati became fascinated with the evil in the hearts of men and began to desire power.[5] He learned the legends of the Picori Blade and Light Force, two gifts that the Picori gave to the humans. These gifts were used by the Hero of Men to seal away the evil terrorizing Hyrule. Vaati decided to go to Hyrule and look for the Light Force, a relic said to be the source of unlimited magical power.[6]

Since the portal between Hyrule and the Minish World was about to open, Ezlo created a gift for the humans. He fashioned a powerful magical cap that was able to grant the wishes of the one who wears it. Vaati put on the cap without permission and transformed into a sorcerer.[7][8] In order to spite his master and show off his new power, Vaati cursed Ezlo, turning him into a living cap.[9] Before leaving, Vaati revealed his plan to cross into the human world through the Minish Door and obtain absolute power.[10]

Vaati learned that the Picori Blade was being used to seal a chest, which he thought contained the Light Force.[11] He decided to enter a competition in the Picori Festival because the winner had the honor of touching the blade.[12][13] As he approaches it, he blows away the guards protecting it and breaks the Picori Blade, releasing all the evil contained in the chest. Zelda is guarded by a mysterious power which Vaati recognizes, and he turns her to stone to prevent her from interfering with his plans.[14] To his surprise, the chest didn't contain anything other than the monsters, but he vows to continue searching for the Light Force.[15]

To aid in his search, Vaati impersonates King Daltus and orders the soldiers to look for the Light Force.[16][17] Many of the guards don't believe in the tales of the Light Force,[18][19][20] even suspecting that the king is not the same person,[21] but continue looking for it under the threat of being imprisoned for disobeying the "king".[22][23] Vaati learns that the location of the Light Force will be revealed if the Four Sword is reforged,[24] and allows Link and Ezlo to continue their quest.[25][26] The two eventually unlock a hidden room in the Elemental Sanctuary containing stained glass which tell that the Light Force resides within Princess Zelda.[27][28] Vaati then thanks the heroes before knocking Link out and teleporting to look for the princess.

By the time Link reaches Vaati, he's already managed to extract some of the Light Force from Zelda and transforms into his tall sorcerer form known as Vaati Reborn.[29] Link defeats the form with the power of the Four Sword, and Vaati transforms into a demonic one-eyed black orb known as Vaati Transfigured, but is vanquished again. In his anger, Vaati transforms yet again, into a larger, more powerful version of this form known as Vaati's Wrath,[30] but he is defeated in this form as well. Zelda then proceeded to use the magical cap to restore what Vaati had done,[31] destroying the cap in the process.[32]

Vaati's Five Forms

In the game, Vaati is seen in a total of five forms: a Minish, a human, a demonic sorcerer, a wind mage, and a true demon form. His humanoid demon sorcerer form has an attack pattern that strongly resembles that of a Patra from the original The Legend of Zelda, his wind mage form moves and looks like Wart in Majora's Mask, and his final form resembles the Nightmare's final form from Link's Awakening.

The figurines for Vaati's boss forms are hidden; they cannot be won in the figurine lottery without first defeating Vaati. However, if Link defeats one of Vaati's forms but fails to defeat the next immediate form, the forms Link had successfully beaten will become available in the Figurine Shop's lottery.

This is the embodiment of purest evil, the final form of the power-mad Vaati. Its mind is consumed with a hunger for destruction. Find its weakness.

Four Swords

Peace returned briefly to Hyrule as Vaati was presumed dead, until he one day reappeared to terrorize the land once more. No longer remembering his days as a Picori, Vaati kidnapped many beautiful maidens and brought them to the Palace of Winds in the sky that he had taken.[33] At that moment, a hero wielding the legendary Four Sword appeared. Using the sword, he split his body in four to defeat Vaati and seal him away inside the Four Sword in the Four Sword Sanctuary.

The seal on Vaati was apparently weakened over time, and a long time later Vaati managed to break out of his prison within the Four Sword. In order to commemorate his return, Vaati kidnapped Princess Zelda and took her to his palace to become his bride.[34] After traveling over three different lands and the dungeons they contained, the four Links confronted the wind mage in the Palace of Winds, the seat of Vaati's power. After an arduous battle between the sorcerer and the heroes, Link was able to reseal Vaati into the Four Sword's blade.

Vaati has two forms in this game. The first is Vaati possessing a statue of himself, encased in armor, similar to the Vaati's Transformation form from later in The Minish Cap, and the battle is very much like the battle against Cyclok in the later Phantom Hourglass. In the second form, he appears as he does in the opening cutscene.

Child Timeline

Four Swords Adventures

After Link had rescued Zelda and sealed Vaati in Four Swords, Hyrule was at peace for a time. This changed when Ganondorf stole the Dark Mirror from the Temple of Darkness. Creating Shadow Link to kidnap Zelda and the Shrine Maidens, Ganondorf tricked Link into drawing the Four Sword, resurrecting Vaati. After cursing the Royal Jewels, Ganondorf used the darkness that Vaati spread to steal the Force from Hyrule, empowering himself.

During his adventure to save Hyrule, Link found evidence that Vaati was not his only enemy, and eventually learned that a "man from the desert", Ganondorf, was behind the theft of the Trident and Dark Mirror, and thus the power behind Shadow Link.

Over the course of the adventure, Link rescued the Shrine Maidens and Zelda, and restored his good name upon defeating Shadow Link with Zelda's help. At the final battle, Link and his split selves defeated Vaati for good, and sealed Ganon within the Four Sword with the help of Zelda and the Shrine Maidens. With this, peace returned to Hyrule, and the Four Sword was laid to rest in its shrine.[35]

Other appearances

Four Swords (Manga)

Appearance of Vaati Reborn in The Minish Cap Manga

In the Four Swords manga adaptation, Vaati mirrors his role from the game. However, when Link first splits into four, the demonic mage first appears as a stone golem. After the golem's defeat, the wispy form of the Wind Mage escapes to the Tower of Winds. After the four Links are separated, he sends Big Poe to the Temple of Darkness to eliminate Red and Blue. Later on, he takes the guise of Princess Zelda, luring Link's father into his trap, seeing him as a possible way to kill Link. This plan is foiled by the Links and his father who destroy the disguise. At the final battle, Vaati sends the Links into a surreal world which he commands. But he is ultimately defeated by the four Links and Shadow Link.

The Minish Cap (Manga)

Vaati appears in The Minish Cap manga, reprising his role as the main antagonist of the story with his background remaining virtually unchanged though there are some heavy differences that occur in the final battle. During his final fight with Link, he assumes a previously unseen form referring to himself as the Great Demon Vaati, in which he adorns new clothes and a helmet. However, he does not utilize this form for long before assuming his reborn form. However, things go awry as he loses control of the light power whilst his body goes through an uncontrollable transformation into a form resembling his Wrath form, as then he is seen begging to be saved from himself, which Link promptly does, using the Sacred Blade. Unlike the game, the sword purifies and redeems his being as he shrinks back to his original Minish form, apologizing to everyone for the evil he had committed in his conquest for power.

Potential Origin

Theory Warning

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Several fans speculate that Vaati might be Ghirahim reincarnated. Demise's curse was that darkness would reappear for Link and Zelda's descendants. Given how Ghirahim is presumed to have decayed along with Demise, this could imply that Ghirahim is under the effects of this curse as well.

Etymology

Vaati's name is a reference to his mastery of wind. It resembles "venti", the Italian word for "winds."

Vaati's Japanese name, "Gufū," means "tornado."

The pronunciation of Vaati's name has been disputed among fans. Some examples would be "VAH-tee" (/ˈvɑː.ti/), "VAH-tie" (/ˈvɑː.taɪ/), "VAH-tuh" (/ˈvɑː.tɨ/) or "VAY-tay" (/ˈveɪ.teɪ/). The weekly show on Wii's Nintendo Channel has confirmed his name is pronounced "VAH-tee" (/ˈvɑː.ti/) on its September 29, 2011 broadcast.[citation needed]

↑ 3.03.1"Link... I feel I owe you an explanation of what has happened. You see, Vaati and I are both Minish." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"I was once a famous sage and a renowned Minish craftsman. Vaati was only a boy when I took him on as my apprentice." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"But...he became enchanted by the wickedness in the hearts of men." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"Well, you call it light force, but it is a source of limitless magical power." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"One day, Vaati took a hat I made for the humans--my pride and joy. It granted the wishes of its wearer. He put it on without permission..." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"I am a sorcerer now, and my power is beyond compare! No longer will I tire away as your apprentice! Now, all shall call ME master!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"Tell me, how does it feel, my sorcerer's curse? Do you see, Ezlo? I am truly your master now, and you cannot stop me." — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"This year, on the day that comes but once a century, the portal opens. And when it does, I shall claim the light force as my own. I will be transformed, perfect, and there will be none who can stop me..." — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"The Picori Blade and the Bound Chest spoken of in Hylian lore... This chest must hold that which I seek!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"As victor, I've earned the right to approach the Picori Blade..." — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"The princess who holds the power of light... That mysterious power is said to flow in the veins of every royal lady in your family ever since that day when it was gifted to your people. If I leave you now, you'll only cause me trouble later. That will never do. To stone with you!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"Empty? There was nothing in there but those monsters? What is the meaning of this? Well, I know the force I'm after is somewhere out there. I'm in no hurry. I can take my time searching for it. Heh heh heh..." — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"Vaati disguised himself as the king to search for the light force." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"The golden light force of limitless magical power... I want it!!! It is somewhere here in Hyrule! Go now, and bring me this power! Waste no time! Go forth at once, and bring me the light force!" — Vaati as King Daltus (The Minish Cap)

↑"Figures that the search for that "light force" isn't going too well... I mean, that stuff never existed in the first place! I'm just disappointed in the king. He should have known better." — Guard (The Minish Cap)

↑"It's strange, though. He never struck me as the greedy type before. It's almost like he's a different person now..." — Guard (The Minish Cap)

↑"Fling anyone who refuses into the dungeon! Him and his family, too! I will tolerate no disobedience!" — Vaati as King Daltus (The Minish Cap)

↑"I hear a guard who was looking for the light force got thrown in the dungeon! Why, the king is hardly worthy of being called "noble" anymore!" — ??? (The Minish Cap)

↑"When the blade has been infused with the four elements, the way to the light force shall open. So it is told in the legends of the Wind Tribe. Vaati himself may already know this." — Siroc (The Minish Cap)

↑"Ezlo, you really are too kind. First, you give me my magic cap, and then you guide me here! [...] At last, I finally know the location of the light force!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"When he learned of this place, he waited for us to reforge the blade." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"Hmmm... How interesting... Look at the images on the stained glass... I bet those pictures show us where the light force is hidden..." — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"I have not yet drained all of the light force housed in Princess Zelda. But what I have should suffice... I shall be transformed! Unstoppable!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"I will not let you escape this place alive... Witness the power of Vaati's Wrath!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)

↑"If one with a just heart wears this cap, things can be made right again. Princess Zelda! Let your wishes be made real!" — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"The hat is falling apart. It's overflowing with the power of life!" — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)

↑"Vaati, the Wind Mage: Vaati, who has no memory of his life as a Picori, goes on a mindless rampage. With the ability to manipulate the wind, Vaati calls himself the Wind Mage, and takes over the Palace of Winds." (Hyrule Historia (Dark Horse Books), pg. 82)

↑"The kidnapped Princess Zelda: Vaati kidnaps Princess Zelda to make her his bride in commemoration of his resurrection, not to obtain the Light Force." (Hyrule Historia (Dark Horse Books), pg. 82)